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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. last — finally
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — a box
  10. lie — to recline
  11. board — a committee
  12. last — final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — to get on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — of your 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