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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitch — completely
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bass — low music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — in football
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — the fish
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitch — a sports field

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