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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pop — soda
  20. toast — bread
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. face — to confront
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. shower — to wash

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