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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. craft — boats
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — a measure
  6. clip — for paper
  7. last — to go on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — a skill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. snap — to click
  21. row — a line
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. fan — to cool the air

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