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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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Word bank
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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 · wind · ruler · ball · clip · press

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — a video
  5. press — to push
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — to eat
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — moving air

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