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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — to go on
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — finally
  11. spell — letters
  12. fine — all right
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spell — a short time
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bat — in an idiom

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