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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bore — to drill
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bore — to tire
  13. squash — to crush
  14. club — for golf
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. face — to confront
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wound — an injury

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