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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mark — a grade
  5. charge — in control
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — a video
  13. file — a line of people
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a document
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bass — low music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — to pay attention

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