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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 120 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: bowl · cabinet · ball · hide · chip · swing · clip · present

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ball — a great time
  16. swing — to play on
  17. present — there
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hide — animal skin

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