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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — in control
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. object — to protest
  10. charge — a price
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kid — to tease
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. object — an aim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rock — a stone
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fall — the season

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