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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. game — wild animals
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — a weight
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. band — a ring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. shower — rain
  24. band — a music group

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