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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — letters

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