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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. rest — a break
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — to fit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. board — to get on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — to tease
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. suit — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. suit — clothes

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