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

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mug — a face
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to click
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. track — a song
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — to cut
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — a weight
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mug — a cup

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