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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. content — happy
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. march — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — the amount
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hide — to keep secret

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