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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. clip — to cut
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. date — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. mark — a grade
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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