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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: chip · chest · hide · pass · clip · bat · current · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. current — electric
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. clip — for paper
  8. band — a ring
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pass — a permit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — happening now
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chest — of your body

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