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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitch — completely
  6. object — to protest
  7. clip — for paper
  8. object — an aim
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. content — happy
  21. cell — a phone
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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