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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 120 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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. swing — music
  4. object — to protest
  5. swing — in golf
  6. land — to come down
  7. object — an aim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. tear — from crying
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. swing — to play on
  22. object — a thing
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. game — wild animals

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