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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — a path
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. track — to keep track
  11. roll — a list
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — thin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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