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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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