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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: clip · board · pound · straw · cue · kid · face · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to confront
  3. kid — child
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pound — a weight
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — to tease
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — a committee
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. board — to get on
  22. cue — for pool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cue — a hint

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