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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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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 · cell · nail · scale · kick · race · fine · deal

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fine — all right
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — humankind
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kick — in football
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — in music
  17. race — a contest
  18. cell — a phone
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. race — the arms race
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fine — high quality

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