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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: wound · arm · fall · foot · pit · tear · mug · spell

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — in a race
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spell — magic
  20. mug — a face
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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