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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: calf · clip · arm · stock · row · fan · straw · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — for paper
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — shares
  9. clip — a video
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. march — music

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