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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. firm — steady
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. perch — the fish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. net — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — a division
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — to cut
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. clip — a video
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitch — completely
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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