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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. file — a tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. suit — to fit
  10. file — a document
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. suit — in cards
  19. chip — for betting
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kid — child
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — to tease
  24. clip — for paper

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