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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — boats
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — for betting
  11. firm — steady
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — of ice
  14. hand — in cards
  15. firm — decided
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — to eat
  18. firm — a company
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. clip — a video
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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