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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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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: nail · stick · straw · deal · mine · arm · present · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — there
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — to handle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. present — a gift
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. present — the time now
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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