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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: foot · temple · spring · chip · kick · mouse · clip · file

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kick — in football
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spring — of water
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  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