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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cap — a lid
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mate — a partner
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. net — in sport
  20. content — happy
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — government
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — employees

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