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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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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 · vault · roll · nail · kid · bowl · kick · saw

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. roll — a cake
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kid — child
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. roll — a list
  24. kid — to tease

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