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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. content — happy
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — to confront
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. face — to point toward

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