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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. firm — steady
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — a gift
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cap — of ice
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — size or range
  11. present — there
  12. cap — a hat
  13. staff — a stick
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hand — help
  17. chest — a box
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. hand — in cards
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. firm — a company
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — a lid

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