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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kick — in football
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. toast — bread
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — a video
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pitch — completely
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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