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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · suit · tear · bay · cap · clip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — to rip
  13. suit — clothes
  14. clip — a video
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour

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