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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — completely
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — to play on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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