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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chest — a box
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chip — to eat
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. temple — a place of worship

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