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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. race — the arms race
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. race — a contest
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. clip — to cut
  17. race — humankind
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bound — certain

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