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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pop — music
  3. firm — decided
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — a cup
  8. march — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. firm — steady
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. firm — a company
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pop — soda

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