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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. march — the month
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mug — to rob
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mug — a cup
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a match
  13. march — music
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to click
  18. mug — a face
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. drill — the tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. march — the month

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