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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pop — soda
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chair — a leader
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. arm — part of the body

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