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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · fine · cell · rush · object · present · foot · clip

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — a gift
  5. object — a thing
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. present — the time now
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — a phone
  12. present — there
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. object — an aim
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. clip — a video
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. object — to protest

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