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

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — of the year
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bowl — a dish

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