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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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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: bore · lie · kick · kid · club · pop · pitch · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. kick — in football
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — for golf
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. club — a group
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. squash — to crush

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