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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 · bulb · cap · kick · jam · mouse · chair · clip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kick — in football
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. clip — for paper

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