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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · clip · calf · pass · foot · fine · arm · pit

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. clip — a video
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fine — high quality
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pit — in a race
  24. calf — a young animal

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