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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 120 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
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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: wind · bound · hand · track · cap · nail · rule · chip

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rule — government
  3. bound — certain
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — for betting
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — of ice
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — a law
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bound — tied together
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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