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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — of law
  12. cap — a lid
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of a king
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. squash — the sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. drill — the tool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — for sport

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