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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: chip · mine · patient · nail · sharp · key · stock · straw

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. key — the most important part
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stock — goods
  20. key — in music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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