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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. track — a path
  4. kick — in football
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. pass — a permit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — a song
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — army training
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — to keep track
  24. court — for sport

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