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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · march · cue · pound · arm · rock · mine · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. march — music
  3. mug — a face
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mug — a cup

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