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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. board — to get on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pop — to visit
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a list
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — soda
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — a video
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — side of the head

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