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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: snap · chip · cabinet · bass · bound · clip · pound · rash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — low music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pound — for dogs

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