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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — a phone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cell — in biology
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mug — a face
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stand — for spectators

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