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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — the time now
  5. degree — from a university
  6. clip — for paper
  7. present — there
  8. shower — rain
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — to wash
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bound — tied together
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bound — certain
  24. degree — an amount

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