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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: chair · chip · fine · trunk · rush · drill · foot · clip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fine — high quality
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rush — hurry
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. clip — a video
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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