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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — child
  4. mug — to rob
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — to come down
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — a country
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. branch — a division
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cap — of ice

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