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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: present · suit · clip · kick · chip · wave · mouse · temple

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. present — there
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. present — a gift
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — for betting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. suit — in cards
  24. present — the time now

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