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

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lie — to recline
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — to handle
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cue — for pool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. net — after costs
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. arm — part of the body

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