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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. chip — for betting
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — in sport
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  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