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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: foot · bat · drill · chair · nail · snap · object · clip

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. object — an aim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. clip — for paper
  10. foot — a measure
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. clip — to cut
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — to protest

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