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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — a video
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — a break
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hand — help
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fine — a penalty

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