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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · mate · arm · net · mug · deal · chest · scale

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mug — to rob
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — for catching
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — a country
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. chest — a box

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