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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: rock · hand · lie · march · club · fan · ball · arm

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. hand — help
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — for golf
  24. rock — to move gently

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