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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — a group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. clip — to cut
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — for paper
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for golf
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. clip — a video
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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