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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — in a race
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — there
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — the time now
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. patient — a sick person

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