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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · chair · arm · snap · ruler · mine

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — to sit 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