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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — in music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. key — for a lock
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. foot — a measure
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — thin
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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