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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. suit — in cards
  9. clip — for paper
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fine — high quality
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. suit — to fit
  20. clip — to cut
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. calf — a young animal

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