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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — to protest
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a hat
  8. last — final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. object — an aim
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. object — a thing
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — part of the body

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