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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chair — a leader
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. drill — a practice
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — music
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — army training
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. club — for golf
  24. wave — with your hand

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