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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — of your body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to confront
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — music
  21. pit — in a race
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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