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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — happening now
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. march — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — a country
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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