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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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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: kid · nail · cue · chip · rash · ground · drill · sharp

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — crushed
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ground — a position
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — to eat
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a signal
  21. drill — army training
  22. sharp — clever
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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