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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: staff · ground · arm · pound · present · lie · sharp · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — a weight
  4. present — a gift
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — there
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — the season
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. present — the time now
  19. lie — to recline
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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