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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: hand · plane · ball · game · saw · pitcher · arm · rule

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — government
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — a match
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — a tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hand — help
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rule — a law

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