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

Word bank: fall · arm · dip · kid · bowl · pit · nail · wind

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. dip — to sink
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fall — the season
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a hole
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. dip — to dunk

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