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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rock — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — in a race
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. cap — a lid
  20. charge — a price
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. arm — part of the 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