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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — a video
  9. chip — for betting
  10. clip — for paper
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. date — the fruit
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. band — a ring
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spell — magic
  24. chip — to eat

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