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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: bowl · snap · clip · chip · key · last · root · bank

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. last — finally
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — the cause
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — of a word
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bank — for money
  13. last — final
  14. bank — of a river
  15. key — the most important part
  16. clip — to cut
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. key — in music
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. snap — to click
  22. chip — to eat
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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