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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — to eat
  15. face — to confront
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. clip — a video
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kick — in football
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. clip — to cut
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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