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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.

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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — a skill
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chip — to eat
  6. file — a tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. present — there
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spring — the season
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — boats
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spring — a coil
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. file — a document
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — a handicraft

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