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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — money
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lie — to recline
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — a container
  17. mate — to breed
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — a city

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