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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. scale — in music
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — of ice
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. clip — a video
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — after costs
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — a hint
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — size or range

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