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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: nail · bowl · chip · net · temple · drill · clip · bound

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — for catching
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — obliged
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — a video
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chip — for betting

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