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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — steady
  6. march — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — a company
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. firm — decided
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. charge — in control
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. charge — a price
  20. tube — a container
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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