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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ball — a dance
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. field — for sport
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a lid
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rule — a law
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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