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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — rain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. present — there
  7. rash — a series
  8. present — a gift
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — the time now
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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