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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — to bear
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ground — a position
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — army training

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