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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kick — in football
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — to visit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. clip — a video
  16. bear — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. scale — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — soda

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