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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. board — a committee
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rash — hasty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. net — after costs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — to get on
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — in sport

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