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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mug — a face
  14. fall — the season
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mug — a cup
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fall — to drop

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