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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — steady
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to bend
  15. firm — decided
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a leader
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — a company
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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