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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. mine — for digging
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fine — high quality
  22. charge — in control
  23. fine — all right
  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