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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fine — all right
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. clip — to cut
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. swing — music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — the sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. foot — a measure
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — to crush

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