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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hand — help
  14. present — the time now
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — there
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a document
  24. present — a gift

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