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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hand — help
  3. snap — to click
  4. clip — a video
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tube — a container
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hand — in cards

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