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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. scale — size or range
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. press — a publisher
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — happy

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