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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a music group
  10. squash — to crush
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. land — a country
  15. club — a group
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — for golf
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. pass — to spend time

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