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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: lie · cell · arm · stand · fork · bat · bore · rest

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fork — in a road
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rest — a break
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rest — what's left

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