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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · chip · racket · bound · pitcher · sharp · shower · tube

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. shower — to wash
  5. clip — to cut
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — clever
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — tied together

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