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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · patient · kick · clip · bear · scale · rash · game

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a match
  3. rash — hasty
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — a video
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. scale — size or range
  23. clip — to cut
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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