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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 120 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: kick · bat · cabinet · mark · board · kid · mate · swing

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. board — a committee
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — music
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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