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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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Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — a phone
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mine — for digging
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cell — in biology
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — for measuring

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