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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — child
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — a position
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hide — to keep secret

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