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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — a video
  4. craft — boats
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. fall — the season
  9. craft — a skill
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rest — a break
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. clip — for paper

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