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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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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: chest · dip · mug · bay · game · drill · fall · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fall — to drop
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mug — a face
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. chest — a box
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a match
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — the season
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kick — in football
  22. mug — a cup
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. dip — a sauce

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