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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — for paper
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — a country
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chest — a box
  10. clip — a video
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — to cut
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. present — there
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. land — ground
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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