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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 124 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: key · chip · net · cabinet · row · clip · shower · object

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. clip — to cut
  3. shower — to wash
  4. object — a thing
  5. row — a line
  6. key — in music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — a video
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — an aim
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. clip — for paper
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chip — to eat
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. net — after costs

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