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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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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 · racket · march · bowl · mine · mark · nail · ruler

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mark — a grade
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. kid — to tease
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bowl — to roll

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