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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — steady
  3. craft — a skill
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. content — the amount
  6. firm — decided
  7. game — wild animals
  8. content — happy
  9. hand — help
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. craft — boats
  16. game — a match
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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