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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: pitcher · kick · wind · court · squash · mark · kid · suit

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — of law
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mark — a trace
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. kid — child
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. squash — to crush
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mark — a grade
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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