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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — rain
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — a position
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — a thrill
  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