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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to sink
  3. field — a subject
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. bound — certain
  9. swing — to play on
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. swing — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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