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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — a video
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — hurry
  19. shower — rain
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — the season
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — to wash

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