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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: cabinet · race · kick · drill · season · cold · foot · mug

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cold — not warm
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mug — a face
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. race — a contest
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mug — a cup
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — an illness
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cabinet — ministers

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