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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — the sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — a law
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — government
  16. clip — to cut
  17. march — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — to crush
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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