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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mug — a cup
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mug — a face
  9. shower — rain
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — to cut
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chip — to eat
  17. scale — in music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mug — to rob
  23. row — to paddle
  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