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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mate — a friend
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — to point toward
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — happening now
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. face — to confront

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