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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pass — a permit
  4. charge — in control
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — electricity
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lie — to recline
  21. clip — a video
  22. charge — a price
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pound — a weight

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