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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cell — in biology
  3. clip — a video
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — to recline
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cell — a phone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — the bottom

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