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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — all right
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. season — of the year
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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