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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. face — to point toward
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — to confront
  22. game — a match
  23. can — to be able to
  24. kick — with a leg

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