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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · suit · arm · face · mark · clip · bark · chest

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — clothes
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — a video
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. suit — in cards
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. suit — to fit
  20. clip — for paper
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. face — to confront

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