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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cue — a hint
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. capital — a city
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a committee
  13. capital — money
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. board — to get on
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — a part of something

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