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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 116 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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — to cut
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mate — to breed
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. root — the cause
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chip — to eat
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mate — a friend
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — in football
  21. content — the amount
  22. root — of a word
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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