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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. march — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. court — for sport
  6. kid — child
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — certain
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — of law
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — high quality
  24. plane — in geometry

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