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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. clip — a video
  3. staff — employees
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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