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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — for betting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. field — a subject
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — for sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hand — help

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