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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. net — in sport
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. game — wild animals
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a match
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — a hat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cap — a lid
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — crushed
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. arm — part of the body

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