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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: game · object · snap · foot · kick · squash · drill · face

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — part of the head
  4. drill — a practice
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — the tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — to protest
  20. game — wild animals
  21. object — a thing
  22. snap — to click
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — army training

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