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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: kick · pitch · trunk · bore · pop · squash · rule · fork

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pop — soda
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pop — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rule — government

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