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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. club — for dancing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — to handle
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — boats
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — a group
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. perch — the fish

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