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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — of a king
  8. game — a match
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mug — to rob
  20. fine — high quality
  21. court — of law
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. court — for sport

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