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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: land · ball · band · sharp · bay · mark · game · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — a country
  5. band — a music group
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. game — a match
  8. land — to come down
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ball — a great time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ball — a dance
  19. land — ground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — a kind of play

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