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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: cold · mark · squash · hand · temple · mate · arm · stand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cold — an illness
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mate — a partner

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