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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: game · cell · chip · ground · clip · leaves · fan · staff

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — the earth
  4. game — a match
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. clip — a video
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ground — a position
  11. clip — to cut
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ground — crushed
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — wild animals

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