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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chip — for betting
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kick — in football
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — a video
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chip — to eat

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