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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — a video
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — to cut
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. suit — in cards
  19. object — an aim
  20. ball — a dance
  21. object — a thing
  22. mine — for digging
  23. object — to protest
  24. clip — for paper

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