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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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Word bank
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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: bat · clip · object · content · capital · mark · toast · foot

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. clip — a video
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. mark — a trace
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — the amount
  17. foot — a measure
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — an aim
  21. bat — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. toast — bread
  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