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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. last — final
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a trace
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — to go on

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