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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — a box
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bound — obliged

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