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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fall — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — the tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mug — to rob

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