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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · mine · key · pitcher · firm · plane · lie · cold

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. firm — steady
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — decided
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. firm — a company
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — for digging

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