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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — a permit
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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