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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitch — completely
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — of water
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. straw — a straw man

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