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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — for paper
  4. content — happy
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cue — for pool
  9. clip — a video
  10. bank — of a river
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cue — a hint
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to confront
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chest — a box
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. bank — for money

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