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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — to recline
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. cap — a hat
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — a lid
  19. swing — music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. firm — decided

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