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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spell — letters
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — magic

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