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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. chip — to eat
  5. present — a gift
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — for betting

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