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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: chip · ball · tube · mouse · clip · leaves · spell · sharp

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — a container
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — for betting
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mouse — the animal

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