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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ground — a position
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — a safe
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. season — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ground — crushed
  20. clip — a video
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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