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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: pop · ruler · chip · chest · fall · clip · race · hide

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. race — a contest
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — to visit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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