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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.

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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: track · hide · pop · swing · land · sharp · chip · drill

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. swing — to play on
  5. land — ground
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. track — a song
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — to eat
  17. swing — music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — army training
  24. sharp — with an edge

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