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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · clip · patient · bear · coach · ball · file · chip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. clip — a video
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a line of people
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a great time
  18. file — a tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a document
  22. bear — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a round shape

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