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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. last — to go on
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — final
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. land — a country
  15. last — finally
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — child
  24. key — for a lock

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