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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — for catching
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kid — child
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rush — to hurry

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