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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. track — a path
  7. face — part of the head
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. track — a song
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. march — music
  12. file — a document
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. face — to confront
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hide — to keep secret

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