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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fall — the season
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — to cut
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cap — a lid
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — to handle
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. toast — bread
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. roll — a list
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. rash — on the skin

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