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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: swing · kick · snap · pitcher · game · bore · foot · chair

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. game — a match
  5. kick — in football
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. snap — to click
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — a leader
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — a kind of play

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