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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — a position
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a music group
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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