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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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468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lash — an eyelash

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