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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — electric
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. present — a gift
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — a box
  24. wind — to turn a key

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