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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — government
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rush — to hurry

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