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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — for money
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. squash — the sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  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