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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rash — a series
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mug — a face
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — hasty

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