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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — help
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — goods
  15. chip — for betting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. hand — part of the body

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