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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. staff — a stick
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — certain
  18. staff — employees
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — to grow
  24. season — to add flavour

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