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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: kick · pop · spring · foot · drill · face · content · jam

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. drill — the tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — the season
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. face — to point toward
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — the amount
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pop — to visit

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