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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 116 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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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 · nail · kick · wound · fall · drill · racket · club

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — in football
  7. drill — army training
  8. club — a group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. club — for golf
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. club — for dancing

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