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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: cap · nail · drill · chip · ruler · date · mate · chair

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — a friend
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — army training
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cap — of ice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ruler — for measuring

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