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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — electric
  6. mate — a partner
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. current — of water
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mate — a friend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. file — a line of people
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. file — a document
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mug — a face
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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