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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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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: squash · face · firm · suit · court · clip · ruler · arm

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — steady
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to confront
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — to cut
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. court — of a king
  21. firm — decided
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — a company
  24. suit — in cards

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