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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.

Make a worksheet

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: jam · bat · foot · face · clip · mug · present · row

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — a line
  3. mug — a face
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. row — to paddle
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — a video
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. face — to confront
  21. mug — to rob
  22. present — a gift
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. present — there

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