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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cue — for pool
  15. drill — army training
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — a hint
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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