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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — the month
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. march — music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — part of the body

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