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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: suit · bowl · arm · mark · wind · hand · plane · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. suit — to fit
  6. hand — help
  7. march — music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. plane — a tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — in cards
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mark — a grade
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — a trace

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