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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.

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
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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — a thing
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. object — to protest
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — temperature
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — an aim
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. clip — a video

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