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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: cabinet · game · can · lie · field · pop · arm · foot

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pop — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — a subject
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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