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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spell — magic
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. saw — the tool
  8. roll — a cake
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — to confront
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. roll — a list
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — part of the head
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spell — a short time
  22. clip — a video
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. arm — part of the body

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