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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — a cake
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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