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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cap — of ice
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cap — a lid
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fall — the season
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — help

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