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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. file — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a document
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — a video
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mark — a grade
  23. band — a music group
  24. mark — to pay attention

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