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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bound — tied together
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chest — a box
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. shower — rain
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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