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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. suit — clothes
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — an injury

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