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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: arm · date · spell · chip · mouse · net · face · clip

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. clip — a video
  4. chip — to eat
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. date — the fruit
  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