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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · nail · pop · kid · bear · chest · calf · pitcher

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — soda
  7. kid — to tease
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — child
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. calf — a young animal

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