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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: nail · land · chip · chest · rock · club

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — ground
  5. chip — for betting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. land — to come down
  9. club — a group
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. chip — to eat
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — for golf
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — a country

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