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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — rain
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. field — farmland
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mate — to breed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — to wash

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