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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a song
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — to point toward
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — part of the head
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — to keep track

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