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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pit — a hole
  7. tube — the underground
  8. land — to come down
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kid — child
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — a country
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. fall — the season
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — a container
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — to handle
  21. land — ground
  22. net — after costs
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. net — for catching

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