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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — ground
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bank — for money
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — for pool
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — army training
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — to crush
  23. land — to come down
  24. cue — a hint

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