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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. face — to point toward
  4. foot — a measure
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — of a word
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. face — part of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. root — the cause
  23. clip — to cut
  24. jam — in traffic

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