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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 116 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: tear · mouse · pop · straw · chip · club · kick · fine

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. club — a group
  5. kick — in football
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pop — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. fine — all right
  16. club — for dancing
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chip — for betting
  22. club — for golf
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. kick — a thrill

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