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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — a video
  5. face — to confront
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pit — in a race
  12. squash — the sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rash — a series
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. band — a ring
  24. pit — a hole

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