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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — for paper
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. swing — in golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. staff — a stick
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kick — in football
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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