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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — a video
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. charge — a price
  9. foot — a measure
  10. present — a gift
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mate — to breed
  20. game — a match
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — a cup

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