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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: arm · kid · fine · hand · nail · bat · land · band

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a music group
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a ring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — in cards
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. arm — a part of something

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