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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kick — in football
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — completely
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ball — a dance
  17. band — a ring
  18. clip — to cut
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — of the leg

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