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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kick — in football
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. clip — a video
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — to go on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — in cards
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. band — a ring
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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