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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — in music
  6. root — the cause
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. root — of a word

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