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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rush — hurry

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