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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pass — a permit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — a video
  5. perch — the fish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. firm — a company
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — for paper
  19. firm — steady
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — army training
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — decided
  24. face — to point toward

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