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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — to crush
  6. land — to come down
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a match
  10. foot — a measure
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — ground
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — for paper
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. squash — the sport
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — dry grass

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