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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.

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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. kid — child
  6. pass — a permit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — of a river
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — in football
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money

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