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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: craft · shower · game · spring · arm · content · pass · rule

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rule — government
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. content — the amount
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — rain
  14. rule — a law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — a coil
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. game — wild animals
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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