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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: suit · chip · bore · clip · content · race · craft · tear

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. content — the amount
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chip — to eat
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. craft — a skill
  10. suit — to fit
  11. race — humankind
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — happy
  15. bore — to drill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — clothes
  20. craft — boats
  21. suit — in cards
  22. clip — to cut
  23. race — a contest
  24. chip — for betting

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