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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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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: snap · lash · race · drill · file · kick · bowl · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. file — a document
  16. race — humankind
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. race — a contest
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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