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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bat — the animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. chair — a leader
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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