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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 · bat · kid · drill · can · coach · foot · mate

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kick — in football
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — child
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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