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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — a law
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — a country
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — to wash
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — to come down
  18. band — a ring
  19. shower — rain
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. land — ground
  22. rule — government
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a music group

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