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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mug — a cup
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — to paddle
  11. date — the fruit
  12. foot — a measure
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — of ice
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. dip — to sink
  20. row — a line
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mug — to rob

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