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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — hurry
  12. press — a publisher
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. march — music
  18. press — to push
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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