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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. clip — a video
  4. season — in sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. hand — in cards
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — the animal

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