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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to point toward
  4. last — final
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — a price
  13. key — in music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. clip — to cut
  16. key — for a lock
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — to go on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. charge — in control
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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