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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — for pool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. file — a document
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kick — in football
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kick — a thrill

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