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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — help
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. land — ground
  22. squash — to crush
  23. capital — money
  24. racket — for tennis

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