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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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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: perch · chip · pit · cap · nail · mine · race · press

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — to eat
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — a contest
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — a hole
  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