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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — to tease
  4. scale — size or range
  5. face — to point toward
  6. foot — a measure
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. craft — boats
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. clip — to cut
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — in music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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