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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — hurry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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