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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. clip — to cut
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — for paper
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — a video
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. chip — for betting
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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