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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — army training
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — certain
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. club — a group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — a practice

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