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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: fan · mouse · hand · arm · bat · drill · squash · temple

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. squash — the sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. drill — a practice

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