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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — a video
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — the season
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — in cards
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. squash — the vegetable

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