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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — a match
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lie — to recline
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cell — a phone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. kick — in football
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — the season

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