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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mug — a cup
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mug — a face
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. board — to get on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mug — to rob
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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