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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — in sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. net — for catching
  9. game — a match
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. present — a gift
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rock — music
  19. present — there
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — to cut
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — a stone
  24. track — a song

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