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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 father caught me by the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — to wash
  4. date — the fruit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — in music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. key — for a lock
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — to recline
  14. degree — temperature
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fall — the season
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. key — the most important part
  24. land — to come down

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