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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a hat
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — a box
  13. chip — to eat
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chest — of your body

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