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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: chair · clip · jam · kid · arm · toast · mouse · tube

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. tube — a container
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. kid — child
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. jam — a tight spot

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