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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fall — the season
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cap — a lid
  7. firm — steady
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. firm — decided
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cold — not warm
  17. firm — a company
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a professorship

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