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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: row · cabinet · pop · drill · chip · fork · bat · object

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. object — to protest
  5. chip — for betting
  6. object — a thing
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — in a road
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — army training
  17. row — a line
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pop — music

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