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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. clip — a video
  3. firm — steady
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. band — a music group
  9. present — there
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — the time now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. firm — a company
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — decided
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — in a computer

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