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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kick — in football
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pop — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bass — low music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bass — the fish

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