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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. kid — child
  8. bank — for money
  9. cue — a signal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fine — all right
  13. game — a match
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rash — hasty
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — a series
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — wild animals

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