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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fall — the season
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rush — hurry
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — to cut

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