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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — wild animals
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a cup
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a match
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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