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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — to bend
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — a video
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — for paper

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