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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — ground
  9. branch — a division
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cue — a signal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. game — wild animals
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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