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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — a video
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. track — a song
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. straw — a straw man

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