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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kid — child
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. swing — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — rain
  22. track — a path
  23. swing — in golf
  24. arm — a part of something

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