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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — an illness
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — to eat
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — bread
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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