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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — to come down
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — help
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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