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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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Word bank
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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: chair · row · arm · rush · stick · file · mug · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. file — a document
  4. mug — a face
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chair — to sit on

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