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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fall — the season
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to click
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. club — for dancing
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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