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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: clip · perch · foot · bat · key · drill · track · chip

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chip — to eat
  3. foot — a measure
  4. key — in music
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — army training
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chip — for betting
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. clip — for paper
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. perch — the fish
  21. track — a path
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. key — for a lock
  24. perch — for a bird

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