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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. ball — a great time

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