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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. net — for catching
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. last — finally
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. net — after costs
  18. kick — in football
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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