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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: hand · arm · clip · dip · bass · board · mark · straw

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bass — low music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. clip — to cut
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — to get on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. board — a flat piece

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