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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — to move gently

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