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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — in sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. toast — bread
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. plane — an aircraft

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