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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — for paper
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. file — a tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — ground
  10. clip — to cut
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — a song
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. track — a path
  24. suit — clothes

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