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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lean — thin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bat — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — for baseball

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