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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cell · chip · row · clip · bass · plane · sharp · kick

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chip — to eat
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cell — a phone
  7. row — a line
  8. bass — the fish
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chip — for betting
  24. kick — a thrill

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