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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lean — thin
  4. present — the time now
  5. chip — to eat
  6. present — a gift
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — a video
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lean — to bend
  11. net — for catching
  12. chip — for betting
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. net — after costs
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a great time
  21. net — in sport
  22. present — there
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chip — in a computer

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