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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. club — for golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. present — there
  11. foot — a measure
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. scale — in music
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. toast — bread
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. club — a group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. club — for dancing
  24. toast — the most admired

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