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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. roll — a list
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bore — to tire
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — a video
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cell — in biology
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. date — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bore — to drill
  24. date — on the calendar

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