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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pit — a hole
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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