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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: dip · fall · rash · arm · ruler · pop · key · kid

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fall — the season
  6. pop — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — soda
  17. dip — to sink
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. key — in music
  24. dip — a sauce

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