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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — of water
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — for catching
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — in cards
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — a coil
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — after costs
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. net — in sport
  21. suit — to fit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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