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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a lid
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cap — a hat
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wind — moving air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fall — the season
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. foot — the bottom

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