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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — in football
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — the season
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — a trail
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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