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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. land — ground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. object — an aim
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. object — to protest
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. land — to come down
  15. kid — child
  16. object — a thing
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — a country
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  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