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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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