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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 · wake · pitch · squash · deal · mark · wound · kid

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — child
  7. mark — a grade
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kick — in football
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — to handle

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