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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: rush · tear · cabinet · kick · deal · march · drill · game

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kick — in football
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. deal — to handle
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. game — a match
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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