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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.

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: kid · squash · nail · hide · can · drill · foot · march

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. drill — a practice
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. march — the month
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. foot — a measure
  11. squash — to crush
  12. drill — army training
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — the tool
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kid — child
  23. march — the month
  24. can — a tin

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