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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. key — for a lock
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — a position
  10. key — in music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — music
  24. arm — a part of something

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