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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — a song
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — to keep track
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. dip — to sink
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — with an edge

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