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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. staff — employees
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. land — to come down
  10. kick — in football
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — a country
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chip — to eat
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. foot — a measure
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — for betting

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