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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.

Make a worksheet

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: object · bark · kid · ball · coach · kick · hand · bass

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bass — low music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a great time
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — to shout
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — an aim
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. object — a thing
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — child
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — with a leg

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