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

Word bank: squash · coach · hide · arm · club · rest · file · bear

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. club — a group
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — for golf
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rest — what's left

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