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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cue — for pool
  21. content — the amount
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  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