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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — for catching
  10. chair — a leader
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. present — the time now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pit — a hole
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kick — in football
  24. chair — a professorship

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