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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — a price
  5. field — farmland
  6. swing — in golf
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. swing — to play on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  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