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

Word bank: toast · foot · squash · cell · drill · kick · cold · cue

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cold — not warm
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cue — for pool
  6. toast — bread
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cue — a hint
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cue — a signal
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cell — in biology
  19. drill — army training
  20. kick — in football
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. foot — a measure
  24. kick — with a leg

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