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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chip — to eat
  5. march — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tube — a container
  8. clip — for paper
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — a division
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — a video
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  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