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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: nail · chip · rest · lie · fork · mine · clip · rash

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lie — to recline
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rest — what's left
  23. clip — a video
  24. fork — in a road

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