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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: pass · chest · pitcher · drill · fork · clip · track · kick

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. drill — army training
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a path
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chest — a box
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — to eat with

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