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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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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: perch · clip · drill · chip · lie · track · club · mark

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. drill — a practice
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chip — for betting
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — to recline
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — a group
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — army training
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. clip — a video
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chip — to eat
  24. track — a path

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