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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — a trace
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. clip — a video
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. temple — a place of worship

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