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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 120 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: lash · pitcher · track · arm · kid · root · game · club

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — wild animals
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. game — a match
  7. root — of a word
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — for golf
  11. root — of a plant
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. track — a song
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — a path
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kid — child
  24. arm — part of the body

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