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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fall — to drop
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fall — the season
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. can — a tin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lie — to recline
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. craft — boats
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lie — an untruth

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