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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — in a road
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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