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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — rain
  20. chip — to eat
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. drill — the tool

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