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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pop — soda
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — a series
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — a lid

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