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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rule — a law
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stem — to come from
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — rain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rule — government
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — to wash

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