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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cap — of ice
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. firm — steady
  20. ground — a position
  21. kid — child
  22. lie — to recline
  23. firm — decided
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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