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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — an aim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. object — to protest
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — a thing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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