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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. toast — bread
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. game — a match
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — wild animals
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. foot — a measure
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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