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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. net — for catching
  4. firm — steady
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — a country
  7. firm — a company
  8. clip — a video
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. scale — size or range
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. clip — to cut
  13. plane — a tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. firm — decided
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. land — ground
  24. net — after costs

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