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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a match
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chip — to eat
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chip — for betting
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — for paper
  24. game — a kind of play

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