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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. object — a thing
  6. last — final
  7. object — to protest
  8. last — to go on
  9. charge — a price
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lean — to bend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — a video
  18. lean — thin
  19. last — finally
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. object — an aim
  22. charge — in control
  23. toast — bread
  24. charge — electricity

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