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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
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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: chip · net · clip · bowl · hide · spell · drill · mine

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — a short time
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — for betting
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. net — after costs
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bowl — a football final

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