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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rock — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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