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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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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — music
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. plane — a tool

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