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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — for paper
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cap — of ice
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — a video
  12. key — the most important part
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — the sport
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. foot — the bottom

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