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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: clip · ball · chip · bay · pop · object · shower · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chip — to eat
  5. shower — rain
  6. pop — soda
  7. clip — for paper
  8. object — to protest
  9. pop — to visit
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — to recline
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — a video
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pop — music

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