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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. object — an aim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chest — a box
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. object — to protest
  17. dip — to sink
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — a thing
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — belonging to me

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