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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rash — a series
  4. firm — a company
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. firm — steady
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — hasty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. firm — decided
  24. clip — a video

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