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

Word bank: arm · cap · squash · clip · firm · rest · mine · rock

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — for paper
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. firm — steady
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mine — for digging
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rest — what's left

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