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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. chip — for betting
  4. scale — in music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. clip — a video
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a line
  22. clip — for paper
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — to paddle

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