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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — of water
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to sink
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. current — happening now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. perch — for a bird

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