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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. season — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — music
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. season — of the year
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cap — a lid
  24. arm — a part of something

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