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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — completely
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cold — an illness
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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