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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rule — government
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — a law
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — to bend
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lean — thin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. spell — magic
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — for betting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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