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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: firm · mouse · fork · clip · swing · present · spell · chip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. firm — decided
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chip — for betting
  5. swing — music
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. fork — in a road
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. firm — a company
  19. spell — letters
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — magic

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