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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: lie · club · safe · fork · kid · cold · arm · pop

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — for golf
  8. lie — to recline
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. club — a group
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — child
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cold — an illness

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