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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: can · bay · jam · hand · arm · row · mouse · game

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. game — wild animals
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. can — a tin
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. game — a match
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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