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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.

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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — for betting
  14. board — to get on
  15. kick — in football
  16. key — in music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — the most important part
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a document
  24. clip — for paper

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