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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — a video
  4. mug — to rob
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. squash — the sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mug — a face
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — for betting
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — a cup

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