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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: cap · bowl · clip · chip · craft · arm · cell · game

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. chip — to eat
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cap — a lid
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chip — in a computer
  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