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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. kick — in football
  10. cue — a signal
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cue — for pool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cue — a hint
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. board — a committee
  23. game — a match
  24. clip — to cut

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