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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fall — the season
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — ground
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. land — a country
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tear — from crying

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