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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: swing · drill · chip · clip · race · plane · sharp · pass

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. swing — to play on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. plane — a tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. swing — music
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. race — humankind

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