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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — a hole
  5. net — after costs
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pit — in a race
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — part of the head
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kick — in football
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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