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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · kid · arm · lash · bound · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kid — child
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. toast — bread
  18. arm — part of the body

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