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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a music group
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kick — in football
  8. spring — of water
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stock — shares
  11. track — to keep track
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. track — a song
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a ring
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — a path

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