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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. season — of the year
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — after costs
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. game — wild animals
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. game — a match
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — an injury
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — for betting

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