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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · prune · bound · pitch · squash · nail · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. squash — to crush
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bound — certain
  24. straw — a straw man

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