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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 · pitcher · court · lean · fall · kid · drill · content

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. drill — a practice
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — for sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — army training
  15. court — of a king
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — of law
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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