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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: fine · clip · rule · pitcher · trunk · chip · hand · drill

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chip — for betting
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — a law
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — government
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — army training

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