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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: dip · land · clip · board · chip · nail · foot · present

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — a country
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. land — ground
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — a committee
  11. present — there
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chip — for betting
  24. clip — for paper

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