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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — of water
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. hand — help
  24. current — happening now

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