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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — a video
  6. stock — goods
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — in music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bear — to put up with

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