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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a ring
  20. fine — all right
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ball — a dance

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