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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: hand · pitcher · arm · tear · board · ruler · kick · land

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — ground
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — a country
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — in football
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a flat piece

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