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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. present — the time now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — a hint
  6. toast — bread
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. present — a gift
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. present — there
  20. cue — a signal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  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