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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — army training
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — a practice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. clip — for paper
  17. drill — the tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. craft — a skill
  22. clip — to cut
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — to dunk

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