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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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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: last · perch · rest · can · kick · squash · drill · pit

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — final
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — in a race
  8. squash — the sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. squash — to crush
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — a break
  20. kick — in football
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — what's left
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — a practice

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