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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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. face — to point toward
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to confront
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — the most important part
  17. foot — a measure
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — for a lock

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