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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. drill — army training
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cap — a lid

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