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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — in football
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a dance
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a great time
  15. game — a match
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kick — a thrill

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