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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. clip — a video
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lie — to recline
  7. firm — steady
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — the sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. craft — boats
  14. firm — decided
  15. bark — to shout
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chest — a box
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. firm — a company
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chest — of your body

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