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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pop · net · drill · kick · squash · kid · hide

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — soda
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kid — child
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. net — for catching
  20. rush — hurry
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — in football
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. squash — to crush

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