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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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kid — child
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — a video
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. board — a committee
  20. chip — to eat
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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