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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a great time
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — wild animals
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wax — in the ear

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