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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. cap — a lid
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — of ice
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. season — of the year
  16. present — the time now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to confront
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fall — the season
  22. present — there
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — wild animals

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