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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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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: lean · content · track · clip · arm · staff · suit · ground

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — crushed
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a path
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — to fit
  13. content — happy
  14. suit — in cards
  15. staff — a stick
  16. content — the amount
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — to cut

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