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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — money
  3. kick — in football
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — a series

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