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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — a video
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — a hole
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — the month

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