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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — to recline
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — in sport
  13. kid — child
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. root — of a plant
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. net — for catching
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — of a word

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