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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. face — to confront
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. roll — a cake
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — part of the head
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spell — magic
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — the animal
  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