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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: bear · clip · land · can · pit · drill · chip · jam

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. drill — the tool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. land — to come down
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. land — a country
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — a hole
  23. drill — army training
  24. bear — the animal

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