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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bound — tied together
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — rain
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — certain
  21. clip — a video
  22. game — wild animals
  23. shower — to wash
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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