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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — music
  5. clip — a video
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. chip — for betting
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. swing — to play on

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