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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — happening now
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. clip — a video
  17. bass — low music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. key — in music
  24. chip — for betting

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