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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — of water
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chest — a box
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — a coil
  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