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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. clip — for paper
  3. current — of water
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rest — a break
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — a video

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