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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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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 · sharp · swing · stick · cue · nail · row · pop

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cue — a signal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. swing — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chip — to eat
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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