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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bore — to tire
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rule — government
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — a law

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