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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mug — a face

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