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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 · bat · calf · chair · stick · drill · date · fall

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kick — in football
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — the fruit
  16. drill — army training
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — the season
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. calf — a young animal

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