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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: fine · spring · straw · drill · mug · court · board · kick

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mug — to rob
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fine — high quality
  11. drill — army training
  12. board — to get on
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — the season
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. fine — all right
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. board — a committee
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spring — a coil

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