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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a ring
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mark — a grade
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. band — a music group
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. file — a tool

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