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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — music
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — for sport
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. clip — a video
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — of a king
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mug — a cup

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