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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. swing — to play on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rest — a break
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — to cut
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rest — what's left

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