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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. spring — the season
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — of water
  12. staff — a stick
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — of the year
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — to cut
  18. kid — child
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chip — in a computer

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