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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kick — in football
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — soda
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chip — to eat
  16. vault — a safe
  17. foot — a measure
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — a series
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chip — for betting

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