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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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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: arm · pitcher · kid · drill · calf · lash · saw · pit

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. drill — army training
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — child
  24. arm — part of the body

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