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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
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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: last · game · clip · racket · chip · cell · object · mouse

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — an aim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chip — for betting
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — to eat
  24. object — a thing

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