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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. object — to protest
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. charge — electricity
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — a match
  14. object — a thing
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spell — letters
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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