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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: clip · pop · racket · deal · chip · patient · rash · rule

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pop — soda
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — hasty
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. rule — to rule out

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