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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. drill — army training
  10. hand — help
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitch — completely
  14. drill — a practice
  15. swing — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com