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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: dip · drill · patient · kick · clip · swing · chip · net

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. swing — in golf
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. net — for catching
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. drill — army training
  13. chip — to eat
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — after costs
  17. kick — in football
  18. clip — for paper
  19. swing — music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chip — for betting
  22. dip — to sink
  23. clip — a video
  24. dip — a sauce

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