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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · chip · bass · clip · craft · bound · present · straw

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. present — the time now
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mate — a friend
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bound — certain
  14. clip — a video
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bass — low music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. craft — boats
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mate — a partner
  24. straw — a straw man

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