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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. perch — the fish
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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