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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 120 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: stand · drill · pitcher · court · kick · mine · bear · rest

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. court — of a king
  3. kick — in football
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. court — of law
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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