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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rest — a break
  9. toast — bread
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — humankind
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — help
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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