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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mark — a grade
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. kick — in football
  8. spring — a coil
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. face — to confront
  11. board — to get on
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a match
  15. spring — the season
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mark — a trace
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. clip — a video
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. clip — to cut
  24. face — to point toward

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