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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cap — a lid
  9. present — there
  10. march — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. present — the time now
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. present — a gift
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — a short time

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