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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: kick · drill · chest · game · rest · mine · fine · firm

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rest — a break
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kick — in football
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. firm — steady
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a match
  15. chest — a box
  16. firm — decided
  17. fine — all right
  18. firm — a company
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rest — what's left
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — high quality

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