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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. clip — a video
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — clever
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — bread
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — the tool
  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