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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. staff — a stick
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — in golf
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — a measure

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