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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. field — a subject
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — for sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — the sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. field — farmland
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — in football
  23. foot — a measure
  24. arm — a part of something

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