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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: drill · squash · arm · cold · mouse · fork · object · fine

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. cold — an illness
  9. squash — to crush
  10. drill — army training
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fine — all right
  18. object — a thing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mouse — for a computer

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