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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — not warm
  5. shower — rain
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. march — the month
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. key — the most important part
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. key — in music

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