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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: rash · clip · rock · chip · hide · land · cue · hand

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — a country
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — ground
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chip — to eat
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — a signal
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rock — music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — to move gently

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