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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: cap · lie · spell · arm · cold · foot · stock · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — not warm
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — to recline
  18. staff — a stick
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. staff — employees

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