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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. key — in music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — for a lock
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. straw — dry grass

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