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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: wind · rest · rock · clip · chest · bowl · chip · suit

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chip — to eat
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rock — music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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