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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · clip · arm · spell · game · fine · mouse · kick

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mark — a trace
  7. clip — a video
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kick — in football
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — magic
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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