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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lean — thin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — a break
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bat — for baseball

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