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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: arm · chest · roll · hand · fan · mark · kick · fork

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kick — in football
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kick — with a leg

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