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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. firm — steady
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — for dancing
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — of the year
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. firm — a company
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — in sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. club — a group
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mine — for digging
  22. firm — decided
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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