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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: bound · nail · pass · chip · bat · pop · land · coach

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. bound — obliged
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pass — a permit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bound — certain
  12. land — ground
  13. bound — tied together
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pop — to visit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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