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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. club — for dancing
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chip — for betting
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. club — a group
  19. clip — a video
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

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