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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. club — for golf
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pit — in a race
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. clip — for paper
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — in music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. clip — a video
  23. arm — part of the body
  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