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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: face · kid · dip · roll · nail · mate · bay · drill

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. kid — to tease
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. drill — a practice
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — a partner
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. dip — to sink
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mate — to breed
  14. face — to confront
  15. roll — a list
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. drill — the tool

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