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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — a list
  18. bank — of a river
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hand — in cards
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. land — to come down
  24. racket — a loud noise

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