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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. date — the fruit
  8. roll — a list
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — a measure
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. roll — a cake
  19. squash — the sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — to crush
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — a straw man

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