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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rush — hurry
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — a safe
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. chip — to eat
  14. clip — to cut
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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