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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — a video
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chip — to eat
  15. race — humankind
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. key — for a lock
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — the most important part
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — in music

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