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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. clip — a video
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — a coil
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. staff — a stick

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