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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — final
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. current — happening now
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spell — letters
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — for pool
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mate — to breed
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — of water
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — electric

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