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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: current · file · hand · clip · bay · kick · arm · swing

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. hand — help
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. file — a line of people
  10. current — happening now
  11. clip — a video
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. current — of water
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — to play on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  24. current — electric

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