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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 words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. board — a committee
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. spring — a coil
  18. board — to get on
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a trace
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — 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