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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — an illness
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fine — all right
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wind — to turn a key

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