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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — of ice
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rule — government
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — a video
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chest — a box
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — a lid

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