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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — clever
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bank — of a river
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. march — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — a loud noise

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