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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: chip · bat · nail · squash · row · fork · cabinet · net

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — for catching
  8. chip — for betting
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — after costs
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. squash — the vegetable

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