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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — to crush
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — to rip
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rock — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rock — a stone
  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