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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — a stick
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. capital — money
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. plane — a tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — a cake
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — a video
  15. file — a tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a document
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a line of people
  22. clip — to cut
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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