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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. net — in sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — high quality
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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