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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — a video
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — help
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — a lid
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. bear — to put up with

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