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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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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 · nail · last · mine · spell · foot · march · ball

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — finally
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — a short time
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — magic
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a great time
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — final
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — belonging to me

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