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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. swing — to play on
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spring — a coil
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. swing — music
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fine — high quality
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. can — to be able to
  24. patient — a sick person

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