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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. board — to get on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — a video

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