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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — a box
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lean — thin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. date — the fruit

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