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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · pitch · hand · march · bay · root · arm · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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 — a part of something
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. march — the month
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. root — the cause
  14. land — ground
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. hand — in cards
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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