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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to click
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stock — goods
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. arm — a part of something

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