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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chip — to eat
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. sharp — clever
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. band — a ring

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