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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: hand · foot · vault · face · arm · ground · rule · fork

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ground — the earth
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rule — government
  10. face — to point toward
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ground — crushed
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hand — help
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — a law
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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