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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mug — a face
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — a match
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — in football
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. date — the fruit

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