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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. band — a music group
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a rubber band

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