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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 116 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: object · hand · straw · chip · hide · chair · nail · march

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — an aim
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — for betting
  12. object — a thing
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — to eat
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — in cards
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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