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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chest — of your body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — steady
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — a position
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. firm — decided
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — a video
  23. chest — a box
  24. firm — a company

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