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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — to cut
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — a phone
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ball — a great time
  24. stand — for spectators

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