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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: stock · clip · drill · roll · kid · key · kick · file

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. drill — a practice
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — in football
  6. roll — a list
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stock — goods
  11. key — in music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. file — a tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — army training
  24. key — for a lock

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