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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: deal · kid · clip · face · chest · staff · bass · bowl

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. clip — a video
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — to tease
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to confront
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kid — child
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. staff — employees

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