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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — a tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. race — humankind
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. swing — to play on
  24. plane — in geometry

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