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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: net · nail · kid · ground · drill · cabinet · chip · pitcher

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — for betting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. net — for catching
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ground — the earth
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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