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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kick — in football
  8. bat — the animal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mate — a partner
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chip — to eat
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. row — a line
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kick — a thrill

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