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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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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 · kid · fan · craft · chip · fork · drill · swing

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — child
  5. drill — the tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. swing — music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — army training
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. swing — to play on
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — to tease
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — a skill

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