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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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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: chair · club · arm · kid · bay · hand · mark · nail

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. club — a group
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. club — for golf
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kid — to tease
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mark — a grade
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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