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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. land — to come down
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — the month
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — a break
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. scale — in music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — a country
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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