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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. clip — a video
  7. spring — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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