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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. mark — a trace
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. plane — a tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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