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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. shower — to wash
  3. present — the time now
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. present — a gift
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — rain
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — there
  19. content — the amount
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. clip — to cut
  24. foot — part of the body

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