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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: arm · chip · mouse · squash · dip · march · drill · game

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. squash — to crush
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. drill — army training
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. chip — to eat
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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