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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: drill · chip · clip · mine · scale · ball · hide · bound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — army training
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — for betting
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — certain

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