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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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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: face · game · bark · clip · chip · file · can · kid

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a document
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. file — a tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. clip — to cut
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — child
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — for betting
  19. game — a match
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — wild animals
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a kind of play

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