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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: toast · object · arm · clip · foot · rest · chest · present

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — the time now
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. present — a gift
  6. object — an aim
  7. clip — a video
  8. rest — a break
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — there
  12. toast — bread
  13. object — to protest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. foot — a measure
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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