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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. suit — clothes
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. suit — in cards
  9. present — the time now
  10. kid — to tease
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — there
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — a gift
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. kid — child
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — to fit

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