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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 · dip · chip · club · chair · branch · mate · bay

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mate — to breed
  9. branch — a division
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — for paper
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — for betting
  23. club — for golf
  24. branch — of a bank

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