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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — a video
  5. degree — temperature
  6. clip — for paper
  7. board — a committee
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — hasty
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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