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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. kick — in football
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — there
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. net — in sport
  21. present — the time now
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — a hole

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