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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — a measure
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. kid — child
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tube — a container
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kick — in football

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