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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · mine · stick · chair · ball · clip · wax · lie

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — a video
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a great time

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