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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — completely
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mark — a grade
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — there
  24. arm — a part of something

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