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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. object — an aim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — to protest
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — the animal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cue — a signal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. object — a thing
  24. cue — for pool

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