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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stock — shares
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — of ice
  23. clip — for paper
  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