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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: mate · chip · clip · row · field · nail · pitch · staff

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitch — completely
  7. field — farmland
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — a line
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — to paddle
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — for paper

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