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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 · arm · bound · bat · hide · lie · stand · clip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. current — of water
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — electric
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — happening now
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stand — to bear

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