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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bore — to drill
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kick — in football
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cue — a signal
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hand — in cards
  15. capital — money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bore — to tire
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. foot — part of the body

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