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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ground — the earth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ground — a position
  14. rest — what's left
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — a break
  23. clip — to cut
  24. racket — for tennis

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