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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · drill · temple · clip · pitcher · track · wind · chip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. track — a path
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — a song
  11. clip — a video
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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