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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: chip · land · clip · march · saw · ruler · pit · charge

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — music
  3. charge — in control
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. land — to come down
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — a price
  16. clip — for paper
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — to cut
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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