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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. foot — a measure
  10. clip — a video
  11. kick — in football
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — to rob
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rest — a break
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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