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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. key — in music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mug — a face
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kid — child
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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