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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mug — a cup
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mug — a face
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a path
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. track — a song
  20. net — in sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — to roll

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