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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: court · arm · hand · rest · pit · hide · spring · mug

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rest — a break
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mug — a face
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — of a king
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spring — the season
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. court — of law
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — for sport
  23. spring — of water
  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