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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mark — a grade
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — the most important part
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lean — thin
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ground — crushed
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — to pay attention

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