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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: arm · hand · spell · pitch · pit · rush · saw · object

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spell — magic
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. object — to protest
  10. pit — in a race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. object — an aim
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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