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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. land — ground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. face — to confront
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — a country
  17. chair — a leader
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — a sauce

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