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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · drill · coach · kid · plane · bowl · saw · suit

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. drill — the tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — to fit
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. clip — a video

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