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

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. firm — a company
  3. mate — a friend
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — in music
  22. firm — decided
  23. race — humankind
  24. file — a document

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