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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 120 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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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: kid · chip · land · foot · fall · mouse · nail · dip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — a measure
  7. kid — child
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fall — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chip — to eat
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chip — for betting
  24. nail — on a finger

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