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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rock — a stone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mate — a partner
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bound — obliged
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — for paper

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