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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chest — a box
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rush — hurry
  23. foot — a measure
  24. lie — to recline

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