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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · date · branch · drill · toast · sharp · chair

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chip — to eat
  6. date — the fruit
  7. drill — army training
  8. chip — for betting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — a division
  11. toast — bread
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chair — a leader
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. branch — of a tree

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