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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — for catching
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — boats
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — in sport
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — a video
  23. hand — help
  24. foot — the bottom

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