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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: stick · roll · dip · deal · chest · ground · pop · arm

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chest — a box
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ground — the earth
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. roll — a list
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — music

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