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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: arm · kid · rock · fan · lie · deal · fine · cold

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — child

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