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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: chest · arm · clip · toast · lie · land · fork · can

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chest — a box
  3. land — to come down
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. can — a tin
  13. fork — in a road
  14. clip — to cut
  15. land — a country
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. can — a tin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. toast — bread
  24. land — ground

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