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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · arm · chair · snap · hide · season · object · fine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — to protest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. object — a thing
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fine — high quality

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