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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chip — to eat
  6. toast — bread
  7. chip — for betting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — help
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. degree — temperature
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — a trace
  17. club — for golf
  18. hand — in cards
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. club — a group
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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