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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: key · jam · object · row · arm · hand · leaves · net

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — in sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — after costs
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — an aim
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. key — in music
  21. object — to protest
  22. net — for catching
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — a thing

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