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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rock — music
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. foot — a measure
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bat — the animal

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