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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 120 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: game · pit · cell · mouse · arm · craft · lie · charge

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — in a race
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. charge — a price
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — boats
  22. charge — in control
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. game — a match

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