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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — of water
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bound — certain
  14. fall — the season
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spring — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — music

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