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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. clip — a video
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. foot — a measure
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a music group
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — a country
  16. face — to point toward
  17. land — ground
  18. chest — of your body
  19. land — to come down
  20. band — a ring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. face — to confront
  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