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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · snap · kick · bear · club · drill

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. drill — army training
  5. snap — to click
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. club — for dancing
  10. kick — in football
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. drill — the tool
  18. club — a group

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