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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. clip — a video
  4. wound — an injury
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mark — a grade
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. deal — to handle
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — to tire
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bore — to drill
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. deal — an agreement

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