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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · lie · kick · arm · chest · prune · content · ground

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rule — a law
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kick — in football
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — to recline
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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