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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: kick · last · ball · bore · fall · pitch · staff · deal

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. staff — employees
  2. last — finally
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitch — completely
  13. staff — a stick
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bore — to tire
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — the season
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ball — a great time
  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