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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.

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: hand · foot · drill · kick · tear · object · fan · mug

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. object — an aim
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mug — to rob
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — army training
  13. object — to protest
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — a practice
  16. object — a thing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — a face

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