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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — to recline
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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