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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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468
Word bank
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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. row — a line
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — a video
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — child
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chip — to eat

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