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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: straw · roll · kick · cap · pitch · mate · object · drill

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kick — in football
  3. mate — a partner
  4. roll — a list
  5. drill — army training
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. object — a thing
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitch — completely
  22. object — to protest
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — a practice

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