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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — to recline
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. current — electric
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. current — happening now
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. bat — the animal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. current — of water
  23. arm — a part of something
  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