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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.

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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: kick · bay · cold · row · racket · chip · spell · nail

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chip — to eat
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cold — an illness
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — magic
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — a line
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. kick — with a leg

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