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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — a song
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lean — to bend
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lean — thin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. track — a path
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — to keep track
  24. plane — in geometry

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