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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — thin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. roll — a list
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cap — a hat
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — shares
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pop — soda
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. clip — to cut

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