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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — of the year
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — for digging
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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