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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chest — a box
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. current — electric
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spell — a short time
  10. foot — a measure
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — of water
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — happening now
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. spell — letters
  24. clip — for paper

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