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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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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: kid · cell · lash · nail · pitcher · kick · bowl · drill

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — army training
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kid — to tease
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — child
  16. kick — in football
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bowl — a football final

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