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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: hide · clip · land · calf · ball · nail · chip · club

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. club — a group
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — a country
  10. chip — for betting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. calf — of the leg

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