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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to tire
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. current — electric
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — after costs
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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