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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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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: chest · stick · jam · roll · lie · mine · track · arm

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. track — a path
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — to recline
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chest — a box
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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