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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kid — child
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — a coil
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — magic
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. chip — to eat
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. clip — for paper
  19. root — the cause
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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