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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: chair · foot · chip · lean · temple · clip · present · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chair — a leader
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — a gift
  10. clip — to cut
  11. present — there
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — a measure
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lean — to bend
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — a professorship

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