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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to point toward
  7. clip — a video
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — clever
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to confront
  18. bore — to tire
  19. clip — to cut
  20. face — part of the head
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chest — a box

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