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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. shower — rain
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. march — music

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