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

Word bank: stand · clip · kid · arm · can · toast · key · face

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — to tease
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. key — the most important part
  10. face — to point toward
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. key — in music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. toast — bread
  22. kid — child
  23. key — for a lock
  24. arm — part of the 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