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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.

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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: clip · bay · cell · firm · mate · chip · scale · current

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — a partner
  7. firm — decided
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. firm — steady
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — a video
  13. current — of water
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. firm — a company
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chip — for betting
  24. current — happening now

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