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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: rock · drill · pound · wind · rash · snap · pit · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — army training
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rock — music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pound — for dogs

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