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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: arm · bat · mouse · staff · clip · fine · squash · cell

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — to cut
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. squash — the sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cell — in a prison

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