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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — to sink
  10. shower — rain
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. shower — to wash
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — for paper
  21. board — a committee
  22. kid — to tease
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. clip — a video

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