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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — to eat
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cold — an illness
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. clip — a video
  21. chip — for betting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. calf — of the leg

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