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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — an illness

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