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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: foot · lie · shower · arm · pit · land · file · bore

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — to come down
  4. pit — in a race
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — ground
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to tire
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — a country
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — rain

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