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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — in football
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. net — for catching
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rest — a break
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kid — child

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