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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: game · drill · bat · ball · arm · cap · row · charge

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss 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. bat — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — a practice
  12. charge — a price
  13. ball — a dance
  14. drill — army training
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cap — of ice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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