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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — a country
  21. cold — not warm
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wave — with your hand

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