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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: racket · drill · tube · kid · chip · nail · spell · bat

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spell — letters
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — army training
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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