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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.

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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mug — a face
  5. race — a contest
  6. mug — to rob
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. race — humankind
  14. key — for a lock
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stem — to come from
  21. key — the most important part
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hide — animal skin

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