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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ball — a great time
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — in cards
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — ground
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — the time now
  15. rush — hurry
  16. saw — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rush — to hurry

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