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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ball — a great time
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — to eat
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — the month

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