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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pop — soda
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. can — to be able to
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. clip — to cut
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — in sport

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