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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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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: rash · land · content · pit · ball · clip · tube · chip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chip — for betting
  5. content — the amount
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. chip — to eat
  14. ball — a great time
  15. land — ground
  16. pit — in a race
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — to come down
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — to cut
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. ball — a dance

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